Looking for some input. I just got a meyer lemon and am planning on repotting it soon. I have a bag of Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm, and Citrus mix. I also picked up fine fir bark, perlite, sand, and sphagnum moss. Also have some red cedar shavings. So i'm curious what peoples experience with this mix is and what you might recommend for combining with these other ingredients. Also is sphagnum moss or sphagnum peat better to use?
Mike

Mike, welcome to the Citrus Growers Forum. Thanks for becoming a member. If I had the ingredients that you list, I would make a blend of 3 parts fir bark, plus 1 part good Canadian peat, and 1 part coarse sand (concrete sand not fine play sand). To every cubic foot of this mix I would add 1/2-lb. Osmocote 17-7-12 slow release fertilizer; 25-grams STEM (Soluble Trace Element Mix), plus the appropriate amount of dolomite to supplement calcium and magnesium. If you can't find 17-7-12, then 19-6-12 Osmocote should be easy to locate. - Millet

Hi Millet,

Thank you so much for your reply. I am so glad I found this forum. In just a few days, I have learned alot. I will look for the 17-7-12 Osmocote, but I think i'm only going to find the 19-6-12. I'm not sure if anyone here will have the STEM, but I will look. Is the dolomite the same thing as the dolomitic lime (pellatized) that I use on my lawn? I have that, but I thought that Citrus prefer acidic soil? Still learning.

Thanks again,

Mike

Mike note that I changed my original post to show that the quantities of fertilizer that I posted, was for each cubic foot of medium. You can adjust the quantities for the amount of medium you blend. As to the dolomite, you might not need to add it, nor use it, if your water supply already contains 40 PPM calcium. Dolomite is not very water soluble, so the finer the grind the better. Granular could be added, but would take forever to dissolve. In place of dolomite you can always use Epsom Salts at the rate of one teaspoon every 3 or 4 watering. - Millet

I have looked all over the internet and I can't find soluble trace element mix (s.t.e.m.) Is there another name for it?

Anyone who sells Scotts brand should be able to order it for you.

If you can find Osmocote 17-7-12 that formulation comes with trace minerals included. If you want to find STEM on the Internet type in....Scotts Soluble Trace Element Mix. I believe there is also another brand of a slow release fertilizer that contains trace minerals called Dynamite. Millet